So I can see I’m not the only one who’s been grinding EX PC - HP Air Raid after WCW :P.
The timing for the inputs can be difficult; it took me quite a while to get it down, but I’m about 90% consistent with it in training mode now, and over 60% in match play.
For c.mk xx EX PC, HP Air Raid, I do the inputs like:
3+MK, 2, 3+MK+LK, HK~MK~LK (piano), 214+LP, HP
So, I’m taking advantage of the input shortcut for DP moves (323 > 623), as well as the ability to piano my K buttons to ensure the earliest possible Stinger release. There’s definitely a knack to it, but with practice, I believe I can get this close to 100% in match play.
Also, @xCobalt - the combo is not character specific. As long as you are doing instant EX Stinger and instant HP Air Raid, the combo you listed will work on all of those characters except standing Poison (against whom the c.mk will whiff, but you can do cl.hk, s.lp, c.mk xx EX Stinger, HP Air Raid instead.) Some characters require tighter timing than others, but this combo works on the entire cast.
@Dontdodat - if you are doing it right, all 3 knives should hit.
Is EX Air Raid the only way to combo in Ultra 2? (Not any Focus crumple)
I been using Ultra 1 due to how easy it is to do EX PC into Ultra 1 but the PS3 online mess up my timing and I either miss the Ultra 1 or it doesn’t come out, while if I play offline, I have no problem.
ch close roundhouse, ch close mk, meaty close mk and stinger are the go to moves. It’s also good off crumple.
The nemo stinger combo is doing my head in, going to take Basics’ method and see how I do. My execution isn’t expert but there is no practical SFIV combo I havn’t been able to do until now.
Can you please explain to me the advantage of using this combo?
lp, lp, cr. mk x Patriot circle x3 = 209 dmg.
lp, lp, cr mk x EX stinger, HP Delta air raid = 229 dmg for 1 meter.
lp, lp, cr mk x EX Patriot Circle, S. HK = 245 dmg for 1 meter.
If I’m not mistaken, hitting the HP delta air raid after the EX stinger is a soft knock down, and doesn’t yield much in the way of any kind of set up. So I’m a little confused as to what the benefit of using it is. Thank you in advance. =]
Air Raid is safe on block, juggles with stinger, can be juggled into U1, or if the opponent is grounded, linked into U2.
Rekkas are excellent still, but the air raid also forces the opponent to block high rather than high/low, with the benefit of being safe on block, but also allows for reset aka less scaling/more damage when continued into further combos.
The oki Rolento gets from PC3 (normal PCs) mid-screen is lack-lustre at best. Quick standing opponents can often evade meaty pressure by simply jumping back, and he is sometimes left at too great a distance after forward dashing for OS sweeps to connect against characters with good backdashes.
EX PC -> s.hk actually leaves Rolento at an even worse position. The opponent is reset into a range outside of Rolento’s best poke (c.lp), and if you attempt to dash forward, your opponent actually recovers in time to punish the dash attempt with a combo of their own. For this reason, I sometimes reset after EXPC w/ c.lp instead. After c.lp, you can:
Cancel into instant H Stinger so they reset onto a knife
Cancel into HP Air raid to keep up pressure
Dash up, throw
Dash up, attack
The c.mk xx EX Stinger, HP Air Raid combo ender is the only option that actually allows Rolento to set up an ambiguous cross-up situation, as it leaves Rolento at considerable advantage, and right in jump range. The spacing varies depending on a few of factors - how far away you were when c.mk connected, how quickly off the ground you performed stinger, and how low to the ground air raid connected - but you will always be left in range for some kind of jump-in shenanigans.
Compared to EX PC, s.hk - unless you are killing the opponent, or putting them within chip range - the sacrifice of 16 damage is almost always going to be worth it for the opportunity to apply another mix-up, and maintain pressure.
This ex stinger air raid combo is killing me mainly because i don’t know where I’m going wrong.
The only error I see in my execution is that during air raid i’m not canceling it instantaneously from the roll part to the air attack, i can still see rolento hop back a bit which is something I don’t see in Nemo’s play.
How can I make it come out faster?
I recommend using the same technique for learning pretty much any combo you’re struggling with in any fighting game: break it down into its component parts.
In this case, the component parts are:
c.mk xx EX Stinger
EX Stinger, Instant Stinger Release
Instant Stinger Release, Air Raid Roll
Air Raid Roll, Instant Air Raid
If it’s the latter half you’re having difficulty with, just practice Roll -> Air Raid by itself, until you think you’re getting the attack as soon as possible. I also roll with LP and attack with HP, which I think is easier than using the same button twice. (to clarify, my input is: 214+LP~HP)
Once you think you have that down, start working backward from there. Stand at tip c.mk range, and just do Instant EX Stinger into LP Roll, HP Air Raid until you have the timing on that component down pat.
Then start working on cancelling the EX Stinger out of the c.mk.
If you follow this methodology (I typically work forward instead of back), with enough practice, you should be able to get pretty much any combo in any game down. Let me know if this helps!
Thank you for the clarification, exactly what I needed to know.
My only other question is this: On characters where c lp, c lp, cr mk xx EX Patriot Circle, Sweep works, do you value the hard knock down and extra damage more?
I would say against characters where you get the HKD from sweep, it’s worth mixing it up. Sweep leaves you right on top of them, and lets you set up a safe jump if you predict their wake up correctly, but doesn’t give the same left/right mix-up opportunity. Rolento relies pretty heavily on keeping opponents guessing, and switching up your BnBs can be a good way of making sure they don’t sniff you out.
How many plus frames is Rolento’s jumping pogo move on block? I hate having to deal with the followup mixup; it seems so gimmicky and I’m almost sure Rolento players are getting away with it due to my lack of matchup knowledge. Although I doubt it, could I stand jab him out of the air with most characters or a close standing anti-air normal (e.g. Sakura cl st.hp)?
I don’t know the exact frame advantage (or disadvantage, rather) but you have more than enough time to AA him out of the air after blocking it. I do it all the time with Rose’s cr.HP and that comes out in 5 frames, so you can definitely do it with Sakura’s cl.HP.
Can anyone give me tips on how to do instant ex stinger into air raid combo? Its very difficult for me to input the ex stinger fast enough for the combo.